31 December 2003
Congressman Alan B. Mollohan
2346 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515-4801
RE: Lock Hours
Dear Congressman Mollohan:
We thank you and Congressman Murtha for the funds pertaining to the lock hours problem on the Upper Monongahela and Upper Allegheny rivers, in Public Law 108-137 (H.R. 2754), Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004.
It is my understanding that the $250K increase obtained by Congressman Murtha is to keep the Upper Allegheny locks open during upcoming the recreational boating season.
I also understand that the $342K you attained is solely for the Corps to study the feasibility of automating lockages on our three Upper Mon locks. Further, the Corps is to make its initial report to Congress by 31 March 2004 on this matter.
The US Army Corps of Engineers thus has its FY 2004 budget for civil works. We therefore would like to know the lock hours schedule the Pittsburgh District will establish for our Upper Mon and Upper Allegheny locks for the May - October recreational boating season in calendar 2004.
I therefore ask that you help us gain this information.
Keeping our Upper Mon and Upper Allegheny locks open 24/7 for the May-October recreational boating season, in my opinion, would cost roughly $500K/year, based on my interpretation of cost information supplied by the Corps.
Captain Mike Ferris, President, River Navigation Coalition, attended a briefing presented by Colonel Raymond Scrocco, District Engineer, Pittsburgh District, 25 April 2003, at Lock Number 2 (Braddock) on the Monongahela. I have this briefing filed in my computer, and, can email it to you if you would like to see it.
Bottom line is that because of budget cuts, COL Scrocco intends to operate our Upper Mon Hildebrand and Opekiska locks, and Upper Allegheny locks 6-9, from 12:30PM to 8:30PM on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, for the upcoming recreational boating season. Further, our Morgantown lock on the Upper Mon will go to day shift only. And, Lock 5 on the Allegheny will only operate five days per week, 12:30-8:30 PM
This schedule is far worse than for calendar 2003, and the 2003 hours were no boon for recreational boaters. The proposed 2004 schedule will just kill recreational boating on the upper reaches of both rivers. It will also kill any chance of developing a recreational boating industry on the upper reaches of both rivers, let alone encouraging commerce.
Our nation's navigable rivers are not just for commerce anymore. We need to add boating recreation to the Corps job jar. This would help solve our Upper Mon and Upper Allegheny problem. You can go to our UPPERMON.ORG website to see what we UMRA and the River Navigation Coalition are advocating, and the tremendous support we have gained from communities and organizations within the Pittsburgh District for our Navigation Resolution.
The problem of the Corps lacking a recreational boating mandate is also described in an excellent two-page article in the November 2003 issue of BOATUS magazine, CREATING A COASTAL CONSTITUENCY. The problem here is that the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway needs dredging, to facilitate recreational boating. I can fax this article to you upon request. More information on this need may be found at Atlintracoastal.org, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association website.
The bottom line is that we will never ever be able to accomplish economic development for recreational purposes of the Upper Mon and Upper Allegheny, and, other waterways in the United States, until Congress directs the Corps to include boating and related recreations in its planning and budget requests. No one, governments or private endeavors, will spend the money to develop waterways recreational infrastructure until they know that Congress has mandated that locks will be open, channels dredged, etc.
We have a perfect example here on the Upper Mon as to why my above statement is true!
We are getting a $100K Boating Infrastructure Grant for the Upper Mon. The original plan was for docks at Fairmont, Prickett's Fort, Rivesville, Morgantown, and, enhancements to Star City's dock and shore-side facilities.
The BIG grant is administered by the federal Fish and Wildlife Service. When they learned that the Corps is going to effectively slam shut our three Upper Mon locks to recreational boaters, they cut out any expenditures south of the Morgantown lock. So, Morgantown and Star City will spend the entire grant! The BIG program is part of the Aquatic Resources (Wallop/Breaux) Trust Fund. This fund is up for reauthorization as S.1804, the Sport Fishing and Recreational Boating Safety Act. We urge members of Congress representing the Pittsburgh District to support this bill.
Let me end with further evidence that the public wants to protect and develop our water and river-based resources.
For the Upper Mon, the seminal event was creation of the rail-trail from Fairmont (eventually!) clear up into Pennsylvania, a wonderful success story that began circa 1989. And you Congressman Mollohan helped to promote this endeavor. The Mon River Trails Conservancy story can be found at MONTRAILS.ORG.
The rail trail heightened public interest in our Mon river and its watersheds. To cite just four of many examples, we have Friends of Deckers Creek, at DECKERSCREEK.ORG. We have Friends of the Cheat, at CHEAT.ORG. We have the newly-formed Monongahela River Society at MonRiverkeeper.org. And, we have the very effective Mon River Recreation VISION 2020 Committee, Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce, at www.be.wvu.edu/umwt/. There are many more.
One final point! Our UMRA website highlights public interest in the river debris and trash problem on our Upper Mon.
Here, I ask that you go to this website, http://www.trashskimmer.com/casesI.htm, Removing Floating Debris from the World's Waterways, published in Port Technology International. Lou Shenman's introduction exactly echoes public opinion on the Upper Mon in WV, and, within the entire Pittsburgh District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, as to why we see a rebirth of public interest in our waterways. Lou's introduction very much fits what we see for our riverfront in Morgantown (which is enjoying $200M worth of development!).
So, again, Congressman Mollohan, we hope, with time and patience, that Congress will add boating and related recreations to the job jar of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Anything short of this, like year to year appropriations to address site-specific lock hours and dredging etc, will just not provide the needed guaranteed long-term federal backing for recreational boating and related recreations.
Again, we very very much appreciate what you and Congressman Murtha have accomplished.
Sincerely,
Donald C. Strimbeck, Secretary
304-599-7585 (fax 4131)
cc via fax: Senators Byrd, Rockefeller, Santorum, and Specter. Representatives Capito, Doyle, Hart, Hobson, Murphy, Murtha, and Rahall. BOATUS THE WATERWAYS JOURNAL
cc via email: All lock hours email lists.